Ilford Pan F Plus 50 ISO 120 Roll Black & White Negative Film

I'm no stranger to Pan F+, having shot quite a lot of it over the years in 35mm.I've never shot it in 120 roll format though, until now.Having recently purchased a lovely old Mamiya C33 I was keen to see what it would do with a roll of Pan F Plus.It was a particularly overcast day, so soft light at least, though it was a tad gloomy. The film of course is ISO 50, it needs light and I just about got away with hand holding the camera. It can be quite unforgiving if you miss your exposure, but when you do nail it, you'll get some wonderful images. As many have said before, the grain on this film is almost non-existent and I always love how the film renders tones. It has a little more contrast than other B&W films and I love it for that. On 35mm this film was always ... MoreI'm no stranger to Pan F+, having shot quite a lot of it over the years in 35mm.I've never shot it in 120 roll format though, until now.Having recently purchased a lovely old Mamiya C33 I was keen to see what it would do with a roll of Pan F Plus.It was a particularly overcast day, so soft light at least, though it was a tad gloomy. The film of course is ISO 50, it needs light and I just about got away with hand holding the camera. It can be quite unforgiving if you miss your exposure, but when you do nail it, you'll get some wonderful images. As many have said before, the grain on this film is almost non-existent and I always love how the film renders tones. It has a little more contrast than other B&W films and I love it for that. On 35mm this film was always in my camera bag. It looks like in 120 format the same will apply.

Ive been in search for a fine grained B&W film with high contrast for my landscape work (What can I say, Im a sucker for Ansel Adams lol) The slower ISO 50 speed appealed to me for two reasons. The low grain is obvious but the ISO 50 also works better with my Zeiss TLR that only goes to 1/300 so bright, sunny days are more manageable with this film when I use that camera. The contrast is great on this film. The blacks are black, the whites are white, and there is a surprisingly good amount of exposure latitude to work with. I was able to extract detail in the clouds and sky in post without making the image flat. This film is also very sharp, as expected with the low grain. All together this makes for a fantastic landscape film. The only major drawback of this film ... MoreIve been in search for a fine grained B&W film with high contrast for my landscape work (What can I say, Im a sucker for Ansel Adams lol) The slower ISO 50 speed appealed to me for two reasons. The low grain is obvious but the ISO 50 also works better with my Zeiss TLR that only goes to 1/300 so bright, sunny days are more manageable with this film when I use that camera. The contrast is great on this film. The blacks are black, the whites are white, and there is a surprisingly good amount of exposure latitude to work with. I was able to extract detail in the clouds and sky in post without making the image flat. This film is also very sharp, as expected with the low grain. All together this makes for a fantastic landscape film. The only major drawback of this film (and I have not personally experienced this yet so take it with a grain of salt) is that it is said to be a weekend film. Meaning it should be shot and developed within a few days, as the emulsion begins to break down after a week POST EXPOSURE and can muddy up your photos quite horribly. Like I said, I shot this whole roll in a day and developed it four days later so I was not effected by this but its definitely something to keep in mind when shooting it. I will likely never buy this in 35mm simply for this reason. I cant shoot a 36 exposures in one day. But in 120 where I either have 10 or 12 photos to shoot, its usually not a problem. Overall I like this film. I just dont like the shoot and develop time frame. I think that needs to be addressed by Ilford.

I tend to use Pan F in my RB67 with studio lighting when I want to make sharp, detailed, high contrast images. I develop it almost exclusively in Rodinal (usually 1+25 for 6mins at 20C). With a weaker solution or a different developer I have seen examples of negatives that offer a much greater depth of detail in the shadows, but this combination gives me a 'look' that I really enjoy. If you prefer a flatter negative then this can be achieved in development, so please don't let this review put you off.The film itself is exceptionally fine grained and is capable of capturing a phenomenal level of detail when combined with a sharp lens.Like all Ilford films I have used it dries very flat and is easy to scan.I understand that some people have had some issues with ... MoreI tend to use Pan F in my RB67 with studio lighting when I want to make sharp, detailed, high contrast images. I develop it almost exclusively in Rodinal (usually 1+25 for 6mins at 20C). With a weaker solution or a different developer I have seen examples of negatives that offer a much greater depth of detail in the shadows, but this combination gives me a 'look' that I really enjoy. If you prefer a flatter negative then this can be achieved in development, so please don't let this review put you off.The film itself is exceptionally fine grained and is capable of capturing a phenomenal level of detail when combined with a sharp lens.Like all Ilford films I have used it dries very flat and is easy to scan.I understand that some people have had some issues with Pan F's ability to retain a latent image if there is a long period of time between exposure and development; I personally I have left rolls up to a week prior to developing them and have had no issues whatsoever.This is one of my favourite films and will remain a mainstay in my fridge given not only its performance, but it's value too.